Double murder suspect on the run after string of violent crimes in Tennessee: Police

Tennessee authorities are desperate to a capture a double murder suspect who they say is on the run after a string of violent crimes.

As the search intensifies for 53-year-old Kirby Gene Wallace in the rural, dense area of Tennessee north of Nashville, some intersections in Montgomery County have been shut down, and in Stewart County deputies will be following some school buses Tuesday to load and unload children for their safety, authorities said.

“We want to encourage residents … to remain vigilant,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Nilan warned at a news conference Tuesday. “We don’t have any reason to believe he has left this area.”

Local, state and federal agencies are searching from the ground and air, going door-to-door and searching every abandoned building, authorities said Tuesday.

Wallace is suspected of killing a 63-year-old woman after she and her husband came home from church Sept. 23, Stewart County Sheriff Frankie Gray said, according to The Tennessean. The couple was bound and their house was set on fire, Gray said, according to the newspaper.

Wallace is also suspected of shooting and killing a man and stealing his truck on Monday in the search area for Wallace in Montgomery County, The Tennessean said.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Kirby Gene Wallace is pictured in this undated photo released by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Days earlier, a woman in her 80’s was returning home from church Thursday when Wallace allegedly stopped her at her car and forced her into her home at knife-point, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said.

Inside the home Wallace allegedly showed a loaded rifle, threatened her and took apart her phone to keep her from calling for help, the sheriff’s office said. Wallace allegedly tied her to her bed before fleeing in her car, officials said.

As the manhunt continues, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to stay inside, keep their doors and windows locked and report any suspicious activity.

“We do know what his capabilities are,” authorities said at a news conference Monday. “He knows he’s got this area here surrounded, it’s gonna be difficult for him to get out. So I would say that he would do about anything to get out of this area.”

A $7,500 reward is available for information leading to his capture, the FBI said.